Thneeds and Butterflies
by waystatus
Summary: Ted and Audrey were going to visit the Once-ler together, but Grammy Norma was quick to steal their attention and now she'd like to tell HER story. The Once-Ler and Norma crossed paths while he was at the peak of his success. He was a greedy businessman, she was a tree-hugging enthusiast. Norma remained long after his empire crashed. This is a telling of what happened off-screen.
1. I'll Show You My Past

_Okay...so in order to convert .8 into a fraction I can try converting it into a percentage first. Percentage means a factor of one hundred percent._

This recent uprising of his inner genius led the grade schooler to furiously scribble away his previous work with a worn down eraser. He blew the rubbery shreddings away with a slice of annoyance.

_.8 would be...eight percent? No. No that would be .08. It's eighty. So it's eighty over a hundred. At least I caught myself in time. I'm getting somewhere, right?_

Despite an emerging inner wizard, his head began to throb. This was borderline maddening.

_But I can't leave it as is. I have to simplify. Oh how it's so hard not to shut down at this step. It's okay. All I have to do use the half and half method that teacher taught me...so half of eighty is forty. Half of forty is twenty. But what about the denominator? Do I halve that too?_

Seconds became the longest few minutes of his life. His mind just wouldn't compute the numbers. He was ready to flip the table.

_For crying out loud, this packet is thirteen pages long?! That's more than the years I've lived! And it's nothing but this boring stuff!_

**_Knock Knock Knock._**

Ted's head suddenly shot up and turned sharply in the direction of the front door. He could see beyond the curtain, silhouetted like an angel with a yellow aura piercing through the barrier of fabric, a dainty shadow stood erect from the other side. An angel of _mercy,_ no doubt.

"Hello? Ted? Are you in there?" a sweet voice called from the other side. Rich like honey, smooth as milk. Ted's frustration turned to mist and rained down over him in sugary bursts. Now all he could only smile giddily.

It was Audrey.

With little to no hesitation, he dropped his chewed pencil and abandoned his studies like the plague, tearing across the kitchen before reaching the main entrance. With a dramatic tug, the door flew open, and there a redheaded beauty stood before him, hair and clothes blowing softly in a welcoming breeze.

"Audrey, hey!" the younger boy greeted almost breathlessly, absent-mindedly smoothing out the kinks in his brown hair. "What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting you to come by today!"

He sounded overjoyed, even if what he said wasn't exactly true. Not that he wasn't happy to see her. Oh, he was as ecstatic as any twelve year old boy would be if he had a gorgeous, kindhearted high school girl freely choosing to spend her time with him. But he _had_ expected her. Anticipated it even. It'd always been at this hour too. Ever since the planting of what almost became the very last Truffula seed, Audrey was kind enough to visit him daily so the two of them could share more adventures together under the sun and out in Thneedville's new batch of fresh air.

Thankfully. This had been ongoing for over half a year. But his same over-enthused reaction never changed. He always welcomed the teenager into his home like it was his first time doing so, with sweaty palms and a pounding heart. Sometimes he would even forget how to say hello.

Audrey addressed him with a grin, politely stepping past him and into his home. She was beautiful as ever, with her long scarlet hair and perfect eyes that sparkled like Christmas trees, expressing so much warmth.

"You don't mind if I come inside for a bit, do you?"

At this, Ted's face fell entirely. It's not that his home was a bad place to be, if you didn't count that he shared it with his mother and grandmother. However, he'd long grown immune to their embarrassing comments about the relationship between him and Audrey.

It was only odd because there was never a moment that went by where Audrey wouldn't have preferred being outside. Especially with nature at its ripest. The color green was becoming more dominating by the second.

"No way! You're always welcome here. Is it too hot to be out right now or something?" he asked with genuine curiosity, stealing a quick glance at the daylight pouring into the house behind him.

Audrey sighed out a laugh. "Actually it feels great! Even better than yesterday or the day before! A wind is starting to pick up."

Wind? And she's purposely _missing_ that? Now Ted's nerves were in knots. His eyes darted every which way as he warily shut the door. "Oh. Well did you...uh...need something then?"

And now, she was snorting. Ted immediately turned away and slapped his forehead in shame when he was sure she wasn't looking.

"Honestly, Ted, if I'm being intrusive you can tell me."

Ted gasped from behind his arm and tore it away. "N-No! Not at all! I wasn't lying when I said you were welcome here! I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything!" he babbled nervously. "It's just...you know I thought there might be a reason behind it, like maybe to use the restroom, or get a glass of water," Ted tapped at his fingers one by one. "Or maybe you...aha...want to say something to me in private away from everyone else," his voice trailed off, his twelve year old fantasies running rampant as he scoffed to himself with reddening cheeks.

"Actually," Audrey started, turning her attention away from the unfinished stack of homework on the kitchen table so that she could look at him fully with bright green eyes. "You're absolutely right. That is why I wanted to come in," she said, quieting suddenly. "I wanted to say this and make sure no one heard me. That way it could be special. Something just between the two of us."

Ted's jaw was about ready to hit the floor. The two of us, she had said.

_Oh no...she isn't...is she really going to...Is this truly happening?_

Audrey's hands suddenly flew into his and he felt himself melt like a gumdrop. An orchestra started off in the back of his mind.

_Oh man, her hands are so soft! She's going to tell me she likes me! Like LIKES me!_

"Ted..."

_Ted! That's me! I'm Ted! I'm the lucky guy!_ The boy's eyes spaced out drunkenly. I_ imagined this moment wouldn't happen until some time in the distant future...and I imagined myself with a bit more chest hair, or at least already out of junior high. But I won't complain! Not if it means Audrey, THE Audrey, telling me-_

"Let's go see The Once-Ler."

His rising hopes suddenly fell like speared birds. All the harps in his head silenced. The young boy was brought back down to Earth and blinked several times.

"Wait what?"

She laughed to herself, seeming shy. "I know, I know, it's a bit of a _rude_ suggestion. When you told me about him, you said he doesn't take kindly to uninvited guests, and that he has his own reasons for not coming into town on his own, and so on and so forth..." Audrey said, gaze lowering. "But...I don't know, you've told me so much and I'm really interested in seeing him for myself! Maybe one little visit will encourage him to come out of hiding!"

Ted's left eye twitched. He did the unthinkable, and weakly pulled himself free from the excited girl's grasp. Only one word fell from his mouth. "Why?"

And he meant it. Why?

The Once-Ler was the one to completely eliminate the forest of Truffula trees so many decades ago. He had taken with it the air, the rich and fertile soil, the thriving wildlife, the authentic colors. All in the name of business, to sell a _scarf._ He was only not a monster in Ted's eyes because he'd shared that intimate chapter of his life while the two were barely more than strangers. He understood his remorse, but it never excused his actions.

Audrey knew next to nothing about him besides what he'd done. So theoretically, she should hate him. Even if blindly He was the reason behind the world and its habitat going completely awry. He was the reason behind O'Hare's success and temporary power over everyone in Thneedville. He was the reason they lived in a world where plastic bumblebees came out of plastic flowers on plastic lawns. Only now were things finally changing.

He started it all. He ended it all. But Ted was the one to fix it. Without him, the seed would still be cooped up with that crotchety old hermit in his smelly old tower in the middle of barren old nowhere.

So why?

Suddenly, a stack of sourly scented papers were being shoved into his arms. Ted managed to catch the thin files before they spilled to the floor. He noticed a headline at the top of the splotchy pink page, in big, faded text:

ONCE-LER. THE FACE OF SUCCESS.

"It also helps that I found these!" Audrey stated proudly, noting the curiosity on the younger boy's face.

"Agh. They smell ancient. I didn't even know these still existed," he wretched. But Audrey was already slipping her fingers in between to grab a particular article and pull it free, not seeming to mind the odor. She presented it proudly.

"They're from over fifty years ago. Isn't that so neat? I came across them last night. They'd been stuffed away in my attic."

Ted couldn't process anything she was telling him. Something caught his eye on the page she was holding. He zeroed in on the face of a young man. Discolored and framed by a box. Light skin, dark hair, eyes hidden behind a pair of gaudy shades. He also wore a top hat and uniform, both so sharp the edges looked dangerous. To contrast, he was cradling something fluffy, frayed, and unbelievably soft-looking. The man was smirking with pride, and even the slightest bit of mischievousness.

"Is that...?"

"_Him?_ The Once-ler?" Audrey finished for him. "Yes, it sure is! Fascinating, isn't it? Don't you think he'd like to see these?"

Ted was at a loss for words. The youthful, ambitious man staring back at him, no older than twenty two, his wide eyes barely visible. Was this really the same mustachioed old coot who'd told him the story of the Truffula forest and the legendary Lorax? Ted still had yet to see the Once-Ler now, as he was. But he couldn't imagine that this was that man. It just seemed too wide a parallel.

"Audrey..." Ted started, feeling his considerations teeter back and forth. "I'm not too sure about this. I'd hate to bother the guy. He doesn't talk about the past that much anymore."

"So we'll take these newspapers to him, and ask him all about it! I'm sure one little visit won't hurt. He can share the story with me like he did with you, and you'll be there just in case there's any small details you might've missed!" she prompted, shooing him towards the door. "Please take me, Ted! We'll go on your scooter! We'll be back before sundown! Just lead the way! Hurry!"

Ted instinctively followed the redhead until she stopped dead in her tracks. She had come face to face with Ted's own Grammy Norma. Hair in tight white curls, eyes squinted in concentration while she nonchalantly knitted away at something rosy pink. Her whole body blocked the way out.

"Off on another sunshiney journey today, kiddos?" she asked kindly, glancing at Audrey.

Both children stepped away in surprise. How did such an old woman move so incredibly fast?

"Grammy! Aha...yes. I guess you could say..." Ted looked over to Audrey's eager face and sighed defeatedly, "...we are."

Audrey gasped. "We _are?!"_

"You are?" Grammy Norma chimed in, squinting at him from beyond her crosshatching needles. Ted forced a smile back and chuckled anxiously. "Yeah, just...j-just going for a ride today. Should feel really cool with all the _wind_ we've been having lately."

Sewing needles suddenly flew across the room and clattered onto the dining room table. Ted turned to face the noise, and all it took was that split moment of distraction. A pair of stubby hands ripped away the papers in his arms. When he peered forward dumbfounded, he found his grandmother's face hidden by a huge sheet of the pale pink paper.

"My word..." she said softly, in a tone Ted wasn't familiar with. "This sets off my butterflies. That really is him, isn't it? That's the Once-Ler."

Audrey bunched her fingers together excitedly. "Sure is!" she answered, leading Ted to cringe. "We were going to go take them to him and maybe hear his story about the Truffula trees one more time!"

"But you know what, keep the newspapers, Grammy. We don't need them right now," Ted hurriedly grabbed Audrey's wrist and prompted her out the front door. "He probably doesn't want to see them anyway. We better get going now, we're only losing time, and _wind! _Right, Audrey? C'mon let's go."

He'd barely taken two steps off the front porch, when a cane suddenly hooked his neck and tugged him back into the house.

"Not so fast, mister!" Grammy Norma exclaimed, reeling him in as Audrey closed the door with uncertainty so that they were all back inside. She and Ted detached themselves.

Ted pulled himself free and rubbed his sore Adam's Apple protectively. "What are you doing, Grammy?"

"Saving you from that old coot! That's what I'm doing!" she responded proudly. "He already got to talk about himself for days and days, that humble fool. Haven't you ever thought that maybe there was something_ I_ had to say?"

Audrey's eyes widened slightly, her heart fluttering. "On his behalf, you mean?"

"On _our_ behalf," Grammy said. "I think my story will be just as investing. You see, the Once-Ler and I have a past together. And I think it's time I brought it to your attention."

The trio went silent. Ted awkwardly scratched his head while a low, deep sigh of surprise passed Audrey's lips.

"You don't mean..." Audrey started, "...you and the Once-Ler...were _lovers?!"_

Ted grimaced at the way she'd blurted it out. Such a leap in logic. It almost seemed impolite. But strangely enough, this only seemed to trigger a deeper fold of Grammy Norma's interest in sharing a piece of her with them. A thin smile formed, making Ted uneasy.

"Take a seat in the living room and I'll be more than happy to tell you all about it."

Audrey was on board the moment she realized what genre of story this would be. And it wasn't even fiction! She trotted into the neighboring room, with Ted sheepishly following. It's not that he wasn't interested. He was just...skeptical. Grammy seemed way smarter than she let on, but why would she only be telling them this now?

Ted seated himself next to Audrey on the sofa, nudging her with one shoulder. "Wait, what about visiting him? What about 'just the two of us'?" he asked with a twinge of sorrow.

Audrey was oblivious to it all. "It can wait! It's your Grammy's turn!"

The grade schooler only shrugged. "I just don't know about this," he admitted.

But his suspicions were answered by Grammy Norma herself, who'd magically teleported onto a couch next to theirs and was leaning towards him accusingly. "You wouldn't be calling a liar now, would you, Teddy?"

Ted jolted back and shook his head over and over. Audrey clapped her hands together.

"I don't think you're lying, Miss Norma! I think it sounds awfully real, and romantic! I can't wait to hear everything!"

Grammy set her cane across her lap and pondered with a finger to her lip.

"That's touching, dear. But I must warn you both. It's a long story. And romance is not in its first or second chapter."

Audrey grinned. "That's okay! Tell us! Please!"

Grammy greatly appreciated Audrey's enthusiasm. Her eyes flickered towards Ted and she winked, urging him to get invested as well. He could see a spike of youth in her eyes. There was no way she'd let them leave without telling them her side. Better to do it now while she was still alive and kicking.

"With pleasure."

**(A/N): A fic that begins with math, amirite? Just something to tie over my block and boredom. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Down with Thneeds

Grammy Norma found herself greedily taking in the warmth of the spotlight. Here her grandson, and undoubtedly his girlfriend-to-be were watching her so carefully, waiting to absorb every word that spilled out of her. She was excited to take a trip back to the past and relive those days that were more than fifty years over. But she was also nervous; scared of what emotion her story would trigger within her own self. It seemed promising, and yet ominous at the same time. But it needed to be told. That's how they were all going to spend this lovely spring afternoon. She was so glad she'd remembered to put in her dentures before trotting down the stairs and overhearing the two youngsters talk about a certain Once-ler. Without them, her tale might have been significantly more gummy.

Audrey bit her tongue and leaned just a bit closer to their storyteller. "You will tell us everything, won't you?" she whispered gleefully, bouncing softly in her seat. "Everything that you remember, at least?"

Ted's grandmother smiled kindly, resisting the urge to pat the girl's head like she were a toddler. "Of course! I wouldn't settle for any less! I may have been just a little over your age, Audrey, but the memories are fresh as ever. I think that's because they never quite left my mind."

Ted winced as Audrey unleashed a high enough squeal to rival Swomee Swans. "Aw! How sweet! So, how did it begin?! How did you two meet?! When did you decide you were in love? Oh, oh, let me guess."

And then the younger boy found himself massaging his temples. He never imagined that Audrey would make something _more_ unbearable for him. Right now she was egging his Grammy on and he knew it'd only get worse from there. What if it were all a fairytale? Surely this isn't how Grammy knew about the Once-Ler's existence and location. The two of them being a thing? She would've said something sooner. She would've left a clue.

And how could something between the two of them just happen and end with no contact? Never a single word exchanged? Maybe this wasn't the love story they were anticipating.

"Audrey..." he stated, careful to not seem too harsh. "Please."

But his words fell on deaf ears. "Love letters!" she gasped with clapping hands. "That's what couples did in that era. You sent each other love letters, right?"

Grammy Norma slumped forward a bit, chuckling. "Oh dear, I'd hardly call them love letters."

Ted zeroed in on the elder, his interest suddenly piked even if he was skeptical. "What would you call them then, Grammy?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Grammy Norma laughed again, but this time with more uneasiness.

"Well..."

* * *

Large cardboard signs of the Once-Ler went weaving throughout the air in all their wild colors, hoisted on long pickets, big red X's over the businessman's animated face. The hands carrying these signs belonged to two very young, very passionate women, who maneuvered with swift agility through a parade of onlookers all gathered outside what was soon to be the first official Thneed store. Both were chanting, screaming until they were red in the face. Even then their voices barely carried far past a ten foot radius. It wasn't enough to deter their spirits.

"Up with Truffulas! Down with Thneeds! Up with Truffulas! **DOWN WITH THNEEDS!**"

* * *

Audrey and Ted exchanged a glance of curiosity before turning back to look at the old woman, blinking in tandem.

"You..." Audrey started, her vision of a perfect romance shattering, yet a sliver of proudness still carried through her tone, "...were a protester?" Her knees shifted. "Like you didn't support the Thneed business at all? Ever?"

Grammy giggled. "Oh come now. You didn't think I was just a quiet little slice of gingerbread my _entire_ life, did you? No no, I never supported the Thneeds. How could I support the very massacre of something so vital to Earth in more than one way?"

Audrey grinned. The woman had had a big heart just like her. It was inspiring. Especially since Grammy had picketed at a time when not having a Thneed was considered criminal. "That's really courageous of you, Miss Norma. But I guess this made your impression of the Once-Ler much more..."

Her eyes wandered.

"...complicated?"

Ted shrugged. "I mean, yeah, he was the inventor of the Thneeds after all."

Grammy snorted. "Indeed. But 'complicated' is hardly the appropriate word. To be perfectly honest I cared nothing for the Once-ler. Not at the time. He was destroying an ecosystem, and I made sure to get my big head involved as soon as possible."

* * *

One of those women was indeed Norma Geisel. Hardly a day over nineteen, she was short, broad everywhere but the middle, and wore a pair of round, oversized glasses. Her hair was rich auburn in color and spiraled down in bushy ringlets. At that moment she had her hair pulled back, as did her friend, and they could properly see every expression that shifted their way. The two saw annoyance, hatred, pity and rage. So much judgement of all sorts. Never did they see a shred of reconsideration. Even the smallest of children had it out for them, snarling from the parents' sides like animals warning.

Their reputation was well on its way to sub zero. Not that their pedestals in Greenville were ever that high to begin with.

The new Thneed store would thrust its doors open any moment now. It sold Thneeds exclusively, in all colors and shapes, making them available faster so that expensive preordering and shipping payments would become a thing of the past. It was the very first one, and if the protests were successful, it would also be the last. Today was the Grand Opening. Today was the day people needed to wake up and realize that with this new store, they'd hit their ultimate low. Murder had become a business.

Nothing could ever strike down the two protesters' pride or will to carry out their message. Norma, alongside her best friend ,Julie, rose their handmade signs to the heavens and screeched the same words over and over again. Their spirits showed no signs of taming.

"Up with Truffulas! Down with Thneeds!

Only when they realized they had an acceptable amount of attention, did they say anything other than those six words. The two hopped up on a bench together.

"Nobody needs these Thneeds!" Julie shouted. Her bun was unraveling, and waves of shiny, dyed pink hair began falling over her face. Courtesy of a trip to the salon, and a formal request to make the color as bright and neon as the healthiest Truffula. Not a Thneed. A living, billowing _Truffula._ It was an homage to something tha was endangered. She angrily shoved these pieces of hair away before forming her hand into a shaky fist.

"The forest needs its Thneeds! The water, the air! It all needs Thneeds! What we, the citizens of Greenville need is to put away our axes, our money, our misguided admiration! We need to stand up to the man! We can't let him win! We're all just pawns in his game! We're all wallets with mouths!"

Norma nodded, circling her sign once so all directions could see.

"Don't you see what he's done?! The skies are now gray, and the Swomee Swans no longer fly! The water's toxicity blinds all the Humming Fish, and the woods are too bare of fruit for the Barbaloots! Where do they go? Are they expected to make way for such a shoddy product?!

It's _his_ doing! He is our undoing! Can't you all see how far we've fallen?! We have to put a stop to this! One person makes a difference, one hundred make a change! We just need to stand together!"

And then a carrot soared after them. Julie barely dodged it as it went over her shoulder. The girls' faces melted into confusion. Their eyes went swimming through their audience all clad in pink, red and yellow Thneeds. There was a stand where a man was selling various vegetables. How convenient...a line was beginning to form. The man selling smiled towards them wickedly.

This time a tomato closed in on them like a whizzing red bullet. Norma blocked it with her sign right before it hit her face, perfectly smashing the sour juices all over Once-Ler's billboard caricature.

"Uh-oh..." Julie hissed, lowering her own sign, but only a little so that she still had a way of shielding herself. "They're throwing things now. You think it's time to bail?"

Norma shook her head defiantly, raising her sign and swinging it like a bat at another tomato. "Are you kidding?! Make yourself useful and grab as many as you can! We'll have a salad later!" Norma was definitely the more optimistic of the two. But it didn't make her any smarter.

Now a small cabbage had pelted Julie straight in the chest before toppling to the ground. Norma noticed it but didn't break concentration. "Except that one. It's tainted now."

Julie fiercely rubbed away at her neckline and groaned. "Norma. They're not going to listen to us! They never do. And I already hate-" she narrowly dodged another tomato, "-vegetables!"

But it was too late. Her mousy friend was in another world of focus. She was determined to fight. Not even having food tossed at her would slow her down. "Actually, Jules, tomatoes are a fruit." She then promptly raised the sign again and waved it dramatically. "You suckers throw anything at my mouth I'll swallow it whole! Up with Truffulas, down with Thneeds, I say!

DOWN.

WITH.

THNEEDS!"

This seemed to only encourage them. She was a bright red bullseye and her teasing urged them to throw more, and to throw harder. But just as a new wave of people began closing in on the two women, one boy clutching a squash paused when he heard a short honk.

He looked over his shoulder and watched a long stretch limo roll in from the distance. Pillows of smoke bursting from the exhaust, the exterior clean enough that they could see reflecting clouds swimming over it like ghosts. Food limply fell from his hand. Several others turned around with inquiry and mirrored his reaction. Several rudimentary splats hit the ground.

"It's _him!_" a man shouted from beneath the shadow of his Thneed hat. A woman cried out immediately afterwards, "Everyone make room! Quickly!" while fumbling with her Thneed camera strap and fluffy Thneed lens cover.

Norma and Julie gradually dropped their defenses and stared on, not sure whether to run or keep rooted.

_Him?_ He had actually shown up? They didn't think they'd ever see him in person. They had never seen him attend these things personally.

Sure enough, a white limousine pulled up in front of the shop. Spinners made of diamond studs on the wheels, the color a deep blush of rose. The entry doors had only just slid open before screams of adoration pierced the air, camera shutters flashing viciously as a lanky man stepped out gracefully into a storm of applause.

* * *

"Wait. You're telling me that old fart had chrome _spinners?!"_ Ted gasped disbelievingly. Audrey nudged him and followed it with a click of the tongue. "Hush, Ted. She said they were diamond spinners. Not chrome. Aren't you listening at all?"

Grammy crossed her arms and chuckled, trying to hide her small twinge of annoyance. "Really, Teddy, is that all that's registering right now? What kind of car the man drove?"

Before Ted could answer, Audrey waved her hand passively. "Don't mind him, Grammy. He's twelve. I'm sure all boys his age find cars very impressive. Especially the ones that millionaires like the Once-Ler rode in."

Ted's face reddened. He had just been lumped into an offensive category.

"Yeah and all girls your age just pay attention to mushy gushy stuff! Like vampires, and the color pink!" he said playfully with a lopsided smirk. He did mean it though. Audrey elbowed him for the second time and rolled her still starry eyes.

"Let's just pay attention. She's about to tell us now how she met the Once-Ler. That is what happened next, right, Grammy? You two met outside the store?"

Grammy smiled. "Ah, yes. Where was I again?"

* * *

Norma and Julie's mouths dropped into the darkest of frowns. Now that they could see him, and feel his presence linger, it settled in like concrete. They could feel their blood boil.

The businessman emerged from his polished little chariot. Norma only caught his backside, but all it took was noticing how he was _still_ wearing his trademark green tux to have her steaming through the ears. Green green green. Only one letter off from greed. The brat must've thought he was literally made of money, wearing that ridiculous costume in every advertisement. Sadly, at this point, with this amount of customers, he might as well be. It was all so infuriating.

The Once-Ler held his gloved hands out and waved to his buyers. A very sly chuckle escaped him. She was surprised she caught at all.

Alas, Norma and Julie both turned to one another with mutual rage, before raising their signs and booing The Once-Ler's retreating figure.

"Boooo!" Julie shouted, jutting a thumb down. The sight of him alone encouraged her not to give up the fight just yet. "Down with Thneeds! Down with Thneeds!"

Norma chimed in quickly. "Get out of our town, Once-Ler! Go destroy your own! Leave our Truffulas alone!"

It was a wonder that anyone could hear them over the amount of ooing and ahhing. But sure enough, the Once-Ler himself looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Norma, who in turn shot him an ugly scowl.

_He sees me._ She thought as adrenaline went zipping through her veins. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was making a difference. Not a bump, but a crevice. The enemy was responding to her, and it made her feel like she existed. She wasn't a nobody anymore.

He seemed the slightest bit perplexed, and only confirmed it when he paused, swiveled around, and began advancing the two of them. Norma just about collapsed with shock.

* * *

"Woah..." Audrey breathed out hazily. Ted felt her drop a bit of her weight against his shoulder. He could feel the conflicted emotions practically radiating off her. She realized what kind of story this was going to be. So much angst and drama was in store. How they would handle it, he wasn't too sure.

* * *

The whole of the crowd's ogling was instantly hushed. The Once-Ler was acknowledging his hate club? Confronting them? This was unheard of. Especially for the two girls protesting. _Especially_ in the public eye.

Julie made a small 'eep' when she realized what was happening. She hadn't prepared for something like this, for the man of power himself to target them directly. What could he possibly say to them? Why was he even taking time to pay attention to their existence? That wasn't what they wanted, was it? Or did they expect this to happen from the very beginning? All she knew was that it made her highly uncomfortable. He'd only humiliate them further. He'd knock them down with the kind of zinger that only a charismatic businessman could conjure up and they'd be sided against and ridiculed. Their hopes of convincing _anybody_ will have wilted entirely. There was no way a person would listen to them after this.

But Norma tried not to fear such outcomes, even if she knew they were entirely possible. She tested the Once-Ler with a glare and pout as he neared the two women until he was standing directly before them. Given the height differences, using the bench seat as support only made it so the Thneed inventor and Norma were totally level, with her brown eyes staring back at themselves in the mirrors of his giant sunglasses framed by blue.

Norma had never been this close to any noteworthy figure, much less the one she loathed more than any other stranger. But here she was able to count the freckles on his face. Oh how nice it'd be to rip every single one off.

"What do we have here?" The Once-Ler asked, his voice dark and velvety, practically oozing with confidence. It made her and Julie feel cold. "You civil ladies have something to say about my Thneeds? Is that the way of it?"

Her words lost themselves for a moment, her entire conscious derailing with the realization that all eyes were on her, and the Once-Ler's were the closest and most focused of them all. She couldn't see them, but she could feel them burning through her like lasers. Melting. She was melting.

"...Get out of here," was all that escaped her, and it came out in such a low hiss she knew he was the only one who heard it. It was so small, and oh so pathetic. The Once-Ler was fighting back laughter. It killed her.

"That's it? That's all you have for me?"

No. No she had so much more. But she couldn't find it in her to bring it forth. She had never been a coward, she didn't feel intimidated. So why was speaking suddenly so hard? And then her orbiting insults finally formed a pathway on her tongue.

"Trust me, Once-Ler. I have more. But carrying those actions out would be illegal by Greenville's standards." Her voice was marinated in the thickest of venom. She rung her hands tighter around her sign and began raising it forward, her body aching to swing it at him. The cocky son of a gun.

The Once-Ler traced his jawline in thought, smiling in a way that only angered her more. He was triumphant. He thought he won simply because of who he was. This argument's victor was already decided before he'd even come up to them. Norma really was a nobody. Everything she had to say held no weight. It meant nothing.

"You know," the man said, "I had a friend that was a lot like you once. He was so passionate about the trees, and he also wanted to stop me."

The young girl paused. She could see a flicker of emotion course through his features. But it was quickly overshadowed.

'Course I have to admit his mustache was much more impressive than yours. But you never know, maybe after a bit of grooming it'll be a fair match. There's no telling what the future holds."

Norma felt a screw drill through her chest. Her teeth gritted. He'd said it so loudly. So proudly. His brainwashed followers erupted in laughter.

"Hey!" Julie's protest escaped her before she could stop itself. "Leave her alone! Her mustache is barely noticeable under most lighting and she only just figured out how to use bleaching kits!"

And now Norma's veins was pounding with fury. If it was possible, the onlookers were howling even louder than before. Being embarrassed was one thing. Being embarrassed in front of the Once-Ler was on another level. And what the heck, it was just peach fuzz, anyway! She silenced her friend with a prompt _'sh!'_ and couldn't help but look down, feeling defeated.

She just about lost the last of her composure when a glove of slime green hue mapped its way to her face and cupped it with mocking gentleness. Her eyes snapped forward. The Once-Ler was stroking her cheek. A wave of gasps beelined through the crowd. Julie barely suppressed a scream.

"It's flattering that such a devoted hippie went through all this trouble just to get my attention," the Once-Ler spat with faux kindness. He proceeded to grab her by the chin and pull her just a bit closer. Norma forgot how to fight for herself and lurched forward, mouth falling open. She could see his eyes now. Not distinctly, but they were definitely there. They were scrunched thin, lost entirely in his expression. The faintest of blue bled through the tinted shades.

The Once-Ler then proceeded to pull out the little Truffula pin in his overcoat, and pierce it through Norma's own yellow shirt. He tucked it through the fabric carefully, drawing his hand back and smirking at her.

"Consider it a token of my appreciation."

He then shoved her away with an open palm, right in the nose, successfully knocking her glasses crooked. He turned to face his disciples.

"I promise you all that these two won't be bothering anyone anymore."

Julie, who'd finally fought her way out of comatose, jolted. "We...won't?" she asked, looking to her sign in confusion.

The Once-Ler briefly turned and looked over his shoulder at her. The corner of his eye was visible, and yes, Norma could see they were indeed blue. Great. Now she could rest easy.

"You won't," he answered for her. The inventor pointed towards a security cop that stood near the entrance of the new Thneed store. A burly man in uniform grunted back at them whilst twirling a set of handcuffs around one finger. He was shaped like a square, with a gruff little face framed by a large bulbous head. The only thing not monstrous about him was his...glittery...pink...Thneed scarf.

Julie's arms dropped and hung forward. The sign nearly slipped through her fingers. It might as well have, as she could now see she no longer had a use for it. Unless she wanted to get arrested by an easily persuaded, overly-biased enforcer of the law, then their cause was as good as dead. The Once-Ler faced his enormous fanclub and held his arms out, shouting a very prompt, "Now who's ready to buy some Thneeds!" only to receive an overwhelming response of cheering.

Norma placed one hand over the pin on her chest. It was soft. Undoubtedly real. A Truffula novelty. Her fingers knotted around it and a growl came out of her. She ripped the token of appreciation right off. She wanted no sign of meeting the Once-Ler visible on her.

"This isn't over," she spat, turning angrily and storming off in the first direction she could find. "C'mon, Julie! We need a better plan! Tomorrow's another day!"

But her friend with carnation follicles was too busy watching as the Once-Ler stood before the doors to the shop, adorning a large pair of scissors. He snipped the velvety line binding the store, and no sooner had he done so did everyone rush inside as he beckoned them in with wavering fingers. His grin was wide. He had won this time.

She sighed heavily, turned, and followed her friend into town towards the graying sunset.


End file.
